NC State grad tweets Outer Banks photo taken from NASA’s International Space Station

N.C. State graduate-turned-astronaut Christina Koch gave a nod to her home state Monday when she tweeted a photo of the Outer Banks taken from the International Space Station.

The image shows North Carolina’s barrier islands from about 250 miles above, on a largely cloudless day.

“It took my breath away as it came into focus,” Koch tweeted. “My first glimpse of coastal North Carolina from space. It’s a special thing to see from above the place where you grew up-- the ocean that first inspired my fascination with things that make me feel small & planted the seed to explore.”

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Christina Koch, a NASA astronaut and NC State graduate, is part of a crew that was launched into space on at 3:14 p.m. EST on March 14, 2019, with plans for an extended stay at the International Space Station.

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The image has gotten nearly 1,000 retweets and 4,700 likes in the past day, including thanks from North Carolinians for “making us #NCproud.”

NC State engineering and physics alumnus Christina Koch is heading to the International Space Station on M arch 14, 2019. and will be part of the first all-female space walk team later in the month. Here are five things to know about her.

She was selected by NASA to be an astronaut in 2013 and trained two years before heading to the International Space Station in March, NASA said.

It took my breath away as it came into focus. My first glimpse of coastal North Carolina from space. It’s a special thing to see from above the place where you grew up--the ocean that first inspired my fascination with things that make me feel small & planted the seed to explore. pic.twitter.com/OZoqiOVtRR

After a four-orbit, six-hour journey to the International Space Station, NC State alumnus and NASA astronaut Christina Koch is the first crew member to enter the hatch and be greeted by the ISS crew. This marks her first spaceflight.